Once December kicks in, it comes with beautiful Christmas trees here and there.
They symbolize the season of love and cheers
Here are five interesting facts about the Christmas Tree
1. Ninety-eight percent of all Christmas trees are grown on farms.
About 350 million Christmas trees are currently growing on Christmas tree farms in the U.S., the National Christmas Tree Association reported.
Only 2 percent of Christmas trees are cut from the wild, according to the University of Illinois.
2. The U.S. has nearly 15,000 Christmas tree farms.
More than 100,000 people are employed in the Christmas tree farming industry, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
3. Decorating Christmas trees with lights began with Martin Luther.
Sixteenth-century Protestant reformer Martin Luther is credited with being the first to add lighted candles to a tree.
While walking home one winter night, he was intrigued by the brilliance of stars twinkling between the evergreen trees, according to History.com. He recaptured the sight at home for his family by erecting a tree in the main room and wiring the branches with lit candles.
“[Luther] suggested attaching candles to the branches, which became quite popular until the electric fairy lights were invented,” Cass said.
Edward Johnson, Thomas Edison’s assistant, came up with the idea of electric lights for Christmas trees in 1882, according to the University of Illinois.
4.Artificial Christmas trees originated in Germany.
During the 19th century, artificial trees were developed in Germany and later became popular in the U.S., according to the University of Illinois.
They were constructed using green-dyed goose feathers that were attached to wire branches. Those branches were then wrapped around a central dowel rod that served as the tree’s trunk.
5. A Christmas tree can take up to 15 years to reach typical height.
The typical height of a Christmas tree is about 6 or 7 feet, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
It can take as little as four years to reach this height, but the average growing time is seven years.
